Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 901 records · Page 50
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

3D Heisenberg universality in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS 3

Van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials are comprised of layers of atomically thin sheets, making them ideal platforms for studying magnetism at the two-dimensional (2D) limit. These materials are at the center of a host of novel types of experiments, however, there are notably few pathways to directly probe their magnetic structure. We confirm the magnetic order within a single crystal of NiPS 3 and show it can be accessed with resonant elastic X-ray diffraction along the edge of the vdW planes in a carefully grown crystal by detecting structurally forbidden resonant magnetic X-ray scattering. We find the magnetic order parameter has a critical exponent of β ~ 0.36, indicating that the magnetism of these vdW crystals is more adequately characterized by the three-dimensional (3D) Heisenberg universality class. We verify these findings with first-principles density functional theory, Monte-Carlo simulations, and density matrix renormalization group calculations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Connection between f -electron correlations and magnetic excitations in UTe 2

The detailed anisotropic dispersion of the low-temperature, low-energy magnetic excitations of the candidate spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2 is revealed using inelastic neutron scattering. The magnetic excitations emerge from the Brillouin zone boundary at the high symmetry Y and T points and disperse along the crystallographic $\hat{b}$ -axis. In applied magnetic fields to at least μ 0 H = 11 T along the $\hat{c}-{\rm{axis}}$ , the magnetism is found to be field-independent in the (hk0) plane. The scattering intensity is consistent with that expected from U 3+ /U 4+ f-electron spins with preferential orientation along the crystallographic $\hat{a}$ -axis, and a fluctuating magnetic moment of μ eff =1.7(5) μ B . We propose interband spin excitons arising from f-electron hybridization as a possible origin of the magnetic excitations in UTe 2 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-domain study of coupled collective excitations in quantum materials

Quantum materials hold immense promises for future applications due to their intriguing electronic, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical properties that often arise from a complex interplay between microscopic degrees of freedom. Important insights of such interactions come from studying the collective excitations of electrons, spins, orbitals, and lattice, whose cooperative motions play a crucial role in determining the novel behavior of these systems and offer us a key tuning knob to modify material properties on-demand through external perturbations. In this regard, ultrafast light-matter interaction has shown great potential in controlling the couplings of collective excitations, and rapid progress in a plethora of time-resolved techniques down to the attosecond regime has significantly advanced our understanding of the coupling mechanisms and guided us in manipulating the dynamical properties of quantum materials. This review aims to highlight recent experiments on visualizing collective excitations in the time domain, focusing on the coupling mechanisms between different collective modes such as phonon-phonon, phonon-magnon, phonon-exciton, magnon-magnon, magnon-exciton, and various polaritons. We introduce how these collective modes are excited by an ultrashort laser pulse and probed by different ultrafast techniques, and we explain how the coupling between collective excitations governs the ensuing nonequilibrium dynamics. We also provide some perspectives on future studies that can lead to discoveries of the emergent properties of quantum materials both in and out of equilibrium.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multidimensional terahertz probes of quantum materials

Abstract Multidimensional spectroscopy has a long history originating from nuclear magnetic resonance, and has now found widespread application at infrared and optical frequencies as well. However, the energy scales of traditional multidimensional probes have been ill-suited for studying quantum materials. Recent technological advancements have now enabled extension of these multidimensional techniques to the terahertz frequency range, in which collective excitations of quantum materials are typically found. This Perspective introduces the technique of two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy (2DTS) and the unique physics of quantum materials revealed by 2DTS spectra, accompanied by a selection of the rapidly expanding experimental and theoretical literature. While 2DTS has so far been primarily applied to quantum materials at equilibrium, we provide an outlook for its application towards understanding their dynamical non-equilibrium states and beyond.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

A magnon band analysis of GdRu 2 Si 2 in the field-polarized state

Understanding the formation of skyrmions in centrosymmetric materials is a problem of fundamental and technological interest. GdRu 2 Si 2 is a candidate material that hosts a variety of multi-Q magnetic phases, including in zero-field. Here, inelastic neutron scattering is used to measure the spin excitations in the field-polarized phase of GdRu 2 Si 2 . Linear spin wave theory and a method of interaction invariant path analysis are used to derive a Hamiltonian accounting for the spectra. The Hamiltonian, dominated by bilinear (Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida) Heisenberg exchange, compares favorably to ab initio calculations. Dipolar interactions are a secondary energy scale to consider, with J D.D ~ 0.05 J RKKY . However, it is shown that in the field-polarized phase the dipolar interactions ‘self screen’ so that their effect is largely suppressed. No specific evidence for higher-order exchange is found. These aspects are discussed in the context of the lower field multi-Q states and the anisotropy of the system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unusual 5f magnetism in new kagome material UV 6 Sn 6

Materials in the family R V 6 Sn 6 (R = rare earth) provide a unique platform to investigate the interplay between local moments from R layers and nonmagnetic vanadium kagome layers. Yet, the investigation of actinide members remains scarce. Here we report the synthesis of UV 6 Sn 6 single crystals through the self-flux technique. Physical property measurements reveal two uranium-driven antiferromagnetic transitions at T N 1 = 29 K and T N 2 = 24 K, a complex field-temperature phase diagram, and unusual negative domain-wall magnetoresistance. Specific heat and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements show a moderate f -electron enhancement to the density of states at the Fermi level (EF), whereas our band structure calculations place the vanadium flat bands 0.25 eV above E F . These findings point to a materials opportunity to expand the uranium 166 family with the goal of enhancing correlations by tuning 5 f and 3 d flat bands to E F .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Micrometre-scale single-crystalline borophene on a square-lattice Cu(100) surface

Borophene, a crystalline monolayer boron sheet, is a new two-dimensional (2D) quantum material, predicted to feature tunable structure, intriguing physics and to find applications in flexible electronics, energy storage and catalysis. Nanoscale borophene flakes have been synthesized on noble-metal surfaces, but for device fabrication, one needs large single-crystal domains. In this work, we report the synthesis of borophene on a square lattice Cu(100) surface and show that incommensurate coordinations could reduce the borophene-substrate interactions and alter the borophene structures in interesting ways. Micrometer-scale single-crystal domains can form as isolated faceted islands or merge together to achieve full monolayer coverage. We have discovered a new crystal structure of borophene, with ten boron atoms and two hexagonal vacancies in the unit cell. First-principle calculations indicate that charge transfer rather than covalent bonding binds 2D boron to the copper surface, and confirm its integrity and uniformity The electronic band structure features multiple anisotropic tilted Dirac cones, heralding emergent quantum fermions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electronic structure of the parent compound of superconducting infinite-layer nickelates

The search continues for nickel oxide-based materials with electronic properties similar to cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the doped infinite-layer nickelate NdNiO 2 has strengthened these efforts. In this work, we use X-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory to show that the electronic structure of LaNiO 2 and NdNiO 2 , while similar to the cuprates, includes significant distinctions. Unlike cuprates, the rare-earth spacer layer in the infinite-layer nickelate supports a weakly interacting three-dimensional 5d metallic state, which hybridizes with a quasi-two-dimensional, strongly correlated state with $3d_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry in the NiO 2 layers. Thus, the infinite-layer nickelate can be regarded as a sibling of the rare-earth intermetallics which are well known for heavy fermion behaviour, where the NiO 2 correlated layers play an analogous role to the 4f states in rare-earth heavy fermion compounds. This Kondo- or Anderson-lattice-like ‘oxide-intermetallic’ replaces the Mott insulator as the reference state from which superconductivity emerges upon doping.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tuning spin excitations in magnetic films by confinement

Spin excitations of magnetic thin films are the founding element for novel transport concepts in spintronics, magnonics, and magnetic devices in general. While spin dynamics have been extensively studied in bulk materials, their behaviour in mesoscopic films is less known due to experimental limitations. Here, we employ Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering to investigate the spin excitation spectrum in mesoscopic Fe films, from bulk-like down to 3 unit cells thick. In bulk-like samples, we find isotropic, dispersive ferromagnons consistent with the dispersion observed by neutron scattering in bulk single crystals. As the thickness is reduced, these ferromagnons survive and evolve anisotropically: renormalising to lower energies along the out-of-plane direction while retaining their dispersion in the in-plane direction. This thickness dependence is captured by simple Heisenberg model calculations accounting for the confinement in the out-of-plane direction through the loss of Fe bonds. Overall, our findings highlight the effects of mesoscopic scaling on spin dynamics and identify thickness as a knob for fine-tuning and controlling magnetic properties in films.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

A light-induced phononic symmetry switch and giant dissipationless topological photocurrent in ZrTe 5

Dissipationless currents from topologically protected states are promising for disorder-tolerant electronics and quantum computation. In this work, we photogenerate giant anisotropic terahertz nonlinear currents with vanishing scattering, driven by laser-induced coherent phonons of broken inversion symmetry in a centrosymmetric Dirac material ZrTe 5 . Our work suggests that this phononic terahertz symmetry switching leads to formation of Weyl points, whose chirality manifests in a transverse, helicity-dependent current, orthogonal to the dynamical inversion symmetry breaking axis, via circular photogalvanic effect. The temperature-dependent topological photocurrent exhibits several distinct features: Berry curvature dominance, particle–hole reversal near conical points and chirality protection that is responsible for an exceptional ballistic transport length of ~10 μm. These results, together with first-principles modelling, indicate two pairs of Weyl points dynamically created by B 1u phonons of broken inversion symmetry. Such phononic terahertz control breaks ground for coherent manipulation of Weyl nodes and robust quantum transport without application of static electric or magnetic fields.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spin-induced linear polarization of photoluminescence in antiferromagnetic van der Waals crystals

Antiferromagnets are promising components for spintronics due to their terahertz resonance, multilevel states and absence of stray fields. However, the zero net magnetic moment of antiferromagnets makes the detection of the antiferromagnetic order and the investigation of fundamental spin properties notoriously difficult. Here, we report an optical detection of Néel vector orientation through an ultra-sharp photoluminescence in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS 3 from bulk to atomically thin flakes. The strong correlation between spin flipping and electric dipole oscillator results in a linear polarization of the sharp emission, which aligns perpendicular to the spin orientation in the crystal. By applying an in-plane magnetic field, we achieve manipulation of the photoluminescence polarization. Furthermore, this correlation between emitted photons and spins in layered magnets provides routes for investigating magneto-optics in two-dimensional materials, and hence opens a path for developing opto-spintronic devices and antiferromagnet-based quantum information technologies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electronic properties of the bulk and surface states of Fe 1+y Te 1-x Se x

The idea of employing non-Abelian statistics for error-free quantum computing ignited interest in reports of topological surface superconductivity and Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in FeTe 0.55 Se 0.45 . However, the topological features and superconducting properties are not observed uniformly across the sample surface. The understanding and practical control of these electronic inhomogeneities present a prominent challenge for potential applications. Here, we combine neutron scattering, scanning angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and microprobe composition and resistivity measurements to characterize the electronic state of Fe 1+y Te 1-x Se x . Furthermore, we establish a phase diagram in which the superconductivity is observed only at sufficiently low Fe concentration, in association with distinct antiferromagnetic correlations, whereas the coexisting topological surface state occurs only at sufficiently high Te concentration. We find that FeTe 0.55 Se 0.45 is located very close to both phase boundaries, which explains the inhomogeneity of superconducting and topological states. Our results demonstrate the compositional control required for use of topological MZMs in practical applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhanced superconductivity and ferroelectric quantum criticality in plastically deformed strontium titanate

The properties of quantum materials are commonly tuned using experimental variables such as pressure, magnetic field and doping. Here we explore a different approach using irreversible, plastic deformation of single crystals. We show that compressive plastic deformation induces low-dimensional superconductivity well above the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of undeformed SrTiO3, with evidence of possible superconducting correlations at temperatures two orders of magnitude above the bulk Tc. The enhanced superconductivity is correlated with the appearance of self-organized dislocation structures, as revealed by diffuse neutron and X-ray scattering. We also observe deformation-induced signatures of quantum-critical ferroelectric fluctuations and inhomogeneous ferroelectric order using Raman scattering. Our results suggest that strain surrounding the self-organized dislocation structures induces local ferroelectricity and quantum-critical dynamics that strongly influence Tc, consistent with a theory of superconductivity enhanced by soft polar fluctuations. Our results demonstrate the potential of plastic deformation and dislocation engineering for the manipulation of electronic properties of quantum materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Doubling down on borophene electronics

The discovery of graphene, an atomic-thick carbon layer that can be exfoliated off a bulk graphite, has demonstrated various surprising properties and inspired a fervent quest for other new quasi-two-dimensional materials. Many analogues have been discovered, including borophene, silicene, germanene, stanene, phosphorene, arsenene, antimonene and bismuthine — one-atom-thick sheets of boron, silicon, germanium, tin, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth, respectively. Borophene is a prototype for a synthetic two-dimensional (2D) material that does not have bulk layered counterparts. Furthermore, the growth of borophene often requires interfacial coupling with the metal substrate to stabilize its 2D form. Despite realizing rich polymorphs, the synthesized borophene is currently limited to only single atomic layers. Now, writing in Nature Materials, Xiaolong Liu and colleagues report the synthesis of double-layer (DL) borophene, which offers another degree of freedom to tune borophene structures and physical properties for electronic applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Superconductivity in a quintuple-layer square-planar nickelate

Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the copper oxide materials, there have been sustained efforts to both understand the origins of this phase and discover new cuprate-like superconducting materials. One prime materials platform has been the rare-earth nickelates and indeed superconductivity was recently discovered in the doped compound Nd 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 . Undoped NdNiO 2 belongs to a series of layered square-planar nickelates with chemical formula Nd n+1 Ni n O 2n+2 and is known as the 'infinite-layer' (n=∞) nickelate. Furthermore, we report the synthesis of the quintuple-layer (n=5) member of this series, Nd 6 Ni 5 O 12 , in which optimal cuprate-like electron filling (d 8.8 ) is achieved without chemical doping. We observe a superconducting transition beginning at ~13 K. Electronic structure calculations, in tandem with magnetoresistive and spectroscopic measurements, suggest that Nd 6 Ni 5 O 12 interpolates between cuprate-like and infinite-layer nickelate-like behavior. In engineering a distinct superconducting nickelate, we identify the square-planar nickelates as a new family of superconductors which can be tuned via both doping and dimensionality.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Giant anomalous Nernst signal in the antiferromagnet YbMnBi 2

A large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is crucial for thermoelectric energy conversion applications because the associated unique transverse geometry facilitates module fabrication. Topological ferromagnets with large Berry curvatures show large ANEs; however, they face drawbacks such as strong magnetic disturbances and low mobility due to high magnetization. Herein, we demonstrate that YbMnBi 2 , a canted antiferromagnet, has a large ANE conductivity of ~10 A m –1 K –1 that surpasses large values observed in other ferromagnets (3–5 A m –1 K –1 ). The canted spin structure of Mn guarantees a non-zero Berry curvature, but generates only a weak magnetization three orders of magnitude lower than that of general ferromagnets. The heavy Bi with a large spin–orbit coupling enables a large ANE and low thermal conductivity, whereas its highly dispersive p x/y orbitals ensure low resistivity. The high anomalous transverse thermoelectric performance and extremely small magnetization make YbMnBi 2 an excellent candidate for transverse thermoelectrics.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coupling between magnetic order and charge transport in a two-dimensional magnetic semiconductor

Semiconductors, featuring tunable electrical transport, and magnets, featuring tunable spin configurations, form the basis of many information technologies. A long-standing challenge has been to realize materials that integrate and connect these two distinct properties. Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer a platform to realize this concept, but known 2D magnetic semiconductors are electrically insulating in their magnetic phase. In this work, we demonstrate tunable electron transport within the magnetic phase of the 2D semiconductor CrSBr and reveal strong coupling between its magnetic order and charge transport. This provides an opportunity to characterize the layer-dependent magnetic order of CrSBr down to the monolayer via magnetotransport. Exploiting the sensitivity of magnetoresistance to magnetic order, we uncover a second regime characterized by coupling between charge carriers and magnetic defects. The magnetoresistance within this regime can be dynamically and reversibly tuned by varying the carrier concentration using an electrostatic gate, providing a mechanism for controlling charge transport in 2D magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗